Jones, Neil R. - 4-Twin Worlds.part3

7/28/2019 Jones, Neil R. - 4-Twin Worlds.part3

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Chapter VII

With a terrific impact, they struck. The remaining straps were broken from theprofessor and 19K-59, hurling them into a tangled heap among the fuel suppliesof the forward compartment. Almost simultaneously there came another terrific shock, and as the professor's senses left him in a bright flash of light, the interrupted thought smote his mind that they had struck in shallow water.The truth of the matter was too swiftly consummated for the brief consciousnes

s of Professor Jameson to fully apprehend. They had indeed struck shallow water,but not as shallow as his ebbing thoughts had conceived. The second impact wasno less than the trailing parachute jerking their dive to a less hazardous speedas it caught the water.6W-438 came to his senses and looked about him. His first conception was the v

ague sensation that he was lying in water. Zoromes possessing scarcely any senseof touch beyond tangible contact, or a change in solids, this divination was truly remarkable. He affirmed this supposition as consciousness gave his brain access to mechanical eyesight. Something weighed him down, and from off him he shoved some of the wreckage of the metal parachute.He rose to his feet and found himself mechanically uninjured. In the clear wat

er all about him, and far out of sight over his head, swam fishes of various sorts, a few darting curiously in and about the wreckage of the projectile. He looked about him for 21MM392 and 19K-59. Not until he had peered beneath broken sections from the projectile did he realize that not only were his metal companions

gone but also the entire forward section of the interplanetary projectile. He now fully understood that it had broken apart when the parachute had struck the water.His companions and the rest of the wreckage were somewhere else. He turned slo

wly and looked in every direction. Finally, several hundred feet off, he saw what was left of the forward section. It lay crumpled, the metal legs and lower half of a metal cube extending from under it. 6W-438 slowly approached, and as he did so he saw the other machine man lying half buried in the mud a few yards fromthe wreckage. It was 19K-59, while under the semi-remains of the projectile lay21MM392.19K-59 stirred himself and arose amid a cloud of muddy water. Together, he and

6W-438 dragged the professor out from under the wreckage."Is he dead?" queried 19K-59, his brain still muddled from the swift successio

n of events and the subsequent crash."I do not know," 6W-438 replied fearfully. "His head seems undamaged, yet- "They examined the professor. His body had lost a tentacle, and one leg was sli

ghtly bent yet still usable. 19K-59, it seemed had been thrown clear. Both Zoromes carefully probed the professor's brain with their own thoughts. His own brainstructure, unless left open for reception, had always been a difficult one forthe Zoromes to penetrate, but if any of them had learned this art to particularadvantage over their fellows it was 6W-438. A glad exclamation escaped his mindas he felt signs of life in the professor's mind.Patiently, he and 19K-59 waited, and sure enough, after a lengthy interval 21M

M392 came to his senses and slowly got to his feet. For a moment he recollectednothing, and then memory returned."What happened?" he asked.

"The projectile broke into two parts when the parachute caught hold of the water," 6W-438 told him. "I sank with the back compartment, 19K-59 was thrown clear, while you fell with the front section.""We must get to dry land," the professor stated as he gathered his faculties o

nce more."How deep do you suppose this water is?" 19K-59 ventured."It is difficult to tell," 6W-438 replied, looking upward through the eye in t

he apex of his conical head. "Due to the unusual brightness, it would not seem to be very deep, but the water is quite clear, and we may be in very deep water.""Look for the incline toward land," the professor instructed. "I wonder how fa


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the shallower waters had either been unavoidable or else was a mistake on the part of the pilot.Night fell, and when dawn followed, the waters commencing to grow murky with l

ight, the three submerged stowaways found the sweeps at rest and the vessel slowly drifting. The mechanism still labored above but with a subdued note to its voice. For some time during the darkness, the machine men had been aware of an abatement in speed.While they considered the situation and sought to probe the minds of those abo

ve them, something shot overboard, ploughing the depths and followed by a streamer of tiny bubbles which fought their way back to the surface. In the growing light, they saw a great weight settle on the bottom, a weight to which was attached a long line."We must be in the harbor of Onolekag," said the professor, peering down at th

e smooth bottom below them. "We shall investigate. Stay here. 19K-59, while 6W-438 and I look for shore. If we become lost from the boat and do not find shore,guide us back. If we find shore, we shall call to you."This precaution, though wise, was found to be scarcely necessary, for the two

machine men wandered into shallower water along rough, rocky columns supportingthe docks of Onolekag. They announced their discovery to 19K-59, who soon joinedthem. The three Zoromes quickly found their way out from under the dock and emerged from the water on a stony beach. From this place they had their first viewof Dlasitap, of the surface of that world.In the early morning sunlight, they looked out upon the harbor of Onolekag whe

re several boats lay at rest upon the water. Several Emites moved busily about t

he dock at this early hour, not yet having noticed the three machine men who hadslipped quietly out of the water. The latter were at a loss to pick out the boat which had brought them, but the mystery of the sweeps and accompanying sound of mechanism was explained.The long oars were operated by a steam engine. A long drive shaft between deck

s worked back and forth, performing the movement of a long oval, lifting the sweeps out of the water on the under path of movement and pushing them against thewater on the upper travel. One of the smaller boats just setting out from the dock gave demonstration of their smooth working efficiency.Suddenly their attention was distracted from the boats by a cry from the rear.

An Emite had seen them and was calling the attention of all near and far to thestrange sight the three Zoromes presented as they walked slowly to the dock. Some of the Emites ran in terror, adding to the general chattering din, while othe

rs advanced, half fearful yet curious. The machine men radiated their thoughts,attempting to placate the apprehensions of the Emites. This they did, partially,yet distrust and lingering suspicion prevailed."Have you never seen or heard of anything like us?" the professor asked, indir

ectly seeking word of the spaceship.It was evident that sight of the machine men was something new for the Emites,

nor had they ever heard of them."We are from another world," the professor told them.This information was immediately seized upon by the Emites and relayed into th

e reference to gthinking machinesh from another world of their planetary system,a world other than Selimemigre."Enitizes, your grand capital of Dlasitap, is not far from here- not more than

seventy-five borgs, is it?" the professor asked.

The affirmation was immediately provoked in the minds of the Emites, who marveled that these mechanical thinkers should be from another world and still know so much about the private affairs of Dlasitap."We wish to go to Enitizes," the professor asserted, avoiding information of t

he fact that they were come from the twin world of Selimemigre.In this desire they were to be satisfied sooner and more elaborately than they

could have expected. Out of the city a military detachment came running, surrounding them and forcing them into a boat. Word had passed into the city that enemies from another world had come to Dlasitap. Coincident with their plans to go to Enitizes, the machine men found that they were being transported there aboard


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ship as prisoners, for Onolekag had no place to keep them.This had all been done so rapidly as to surprise the three Zoromes, who, as th

eir desires were being consummated, submitted peacefully. But from their captorsf minds they stole information bit by bit during the trip to Enitizes, learningthat a few of the nations of Dlasitap were straining at diplomatic relations, and armed forces were ready for any hostilities which might arise. The weapons ofthe Emites, they discovered later, were not unlike short rifles, which, under air compression, shot forth small pellets of explosives which detonated against whatever they happened to strike. 6W-438 was hit by one when an overzealous Emiteforced him back from the edge of the boat where he had been regarding the operation of the mechanical sweeps. No damage, beyond a slight blackening of a metal leg where the pellet had exploded, was suffered by him.Shortly after sunset, they rode into the harbor of the great city of Enitizes,

an international city of Dlasitap, where the world government held forth in allits pomp and power. The city was not only larger than the one they had just left, but it boasted more pretentious buildings.Without ceremony, the three machine men were escorted to the city's museum whe

re their metal legs were chained to the gigantic cube of rock on which they stood for the curious eyes of the Emites. Nearly the entire populace of Enitizes thronged the great hall, coming and going during the next few days in order to seethe strange thinking machines from another world. The three Zoromes regarded thechains in secret amusement, especially the professor, for in his foretentacle he carried a heat ray with such intensive power that it would melt through theselight metal alloy chains as if they were no more than hempen cords. For the time

being, they were willing to submit to these measures, searching the minds of those who came for an inkling of the lost spaceship and its occupants."Where do you suppose it is?" 19K-59 opened the question uppermost in the mind

s of the three."An accident out in space, perhaps," 6W-438 suggested. "They may be somewhere

out in space at this moment still making repairs.""It is more likely that they have landed on Dlasitap in some isolated spot," s

iad the professor. "In a few more days, unless we find out where they are, we shall leave this place and discover what transportation facilities exist for a search on other parts of Dlasitap."Several more days passed. The throngs of curious Emites did not diminish in nu

mbers, for the report of the thinking machines had spread afar, and many were coming from other cities to see the strange creatures. The machine men remained al

oof and uncommunicative, much to the chagrin of the various Emites who were mostscientifically curious, but it was generally understood that they were from a distant world and that their spaceship had fallen into the ocean.The machine men were interested to learn that the Administrators were soon com

ing in a body to view the metal curiosities that had been so easily captured. "reat preparations were made ready for the honored visit, and a broad dais with luxurious seats was built directly before the three curious exhibits. The seats could scarcely be called chairs by the professor, who noted their peculiar structure adapted especially for the four-legged creatures.On the day looked forward to, the great hall was crammed to its utmost capacit

y with Emites, and the seven Administrators, true to universal form, magnified their pomp and importance by a late arrival. The building echoed and reechoed tothe acclaiming din, and, also universal in custom, the occasion called for a spe

ech. It was from no less than Bemencanla himself.

Chapter VIII

The machine men found that he differed little superficially from the general run of Emites, but within his mind they readily discerned the turbulent, treacherous currents of avarice, cunning and hypocrisy. Bemencanla's speech ran true toform. It was flowery, exuded patriotism and honor, and cited the magnificent progress under the recent regime, utterly ignoring the strained ties which now existed among several of the nations. The Grand Administrator reached a point where,


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in quivering wrath, he referred to the demise of the previous regime."And Kamunioleten, that arch-criminal who so inglorious-ly brought his comrade

s to an untimely death, should no longer reap a profitable luxury in exile on Selmemigre! Legislation should be, and now is, in the making for his execution, along delayed justice to the rights of our citizenry! One who would cast his fellow Administrators to meet death in space in order to achieve his own selfish ends is no longer fit to live, either on Dlasitap or Selimemigre!"As Bemencanla paused for breath and to instill a greater significance to his w

ords, another voice interrupted, a silent voice that gripped the minds of the assembled thousands."Those last are the truest words you have spoken! But in those words you have

not described Kamunioleten but yourself! You, Bemencanla, were the one who planned the hideous crime you have just described, planning it so cleverly as to cover Kamunioleten with the blame!"This message rang like a siren in the minds of the gathered Emites. In Bemenca

nla's words, Professor Jameson, irked by the past few days of inactivity and lack of information regarding his lost companions, recognized the opportune moment.He paused in the midst of the gasp which went up from the stricken Emites, as they realized that from this walking mechanism had issued a vibrant denunciationof Bemencanla. The Grand Administrator's face blanched, while the mouth on the top of his head fell open in dumb surprise and consternation. The professor continued, citing, in clear thought pictures and mental suggestion, the entire perfidy of Bemencanla and the injustice done to Kamunioleten. It was all done so rapidly that in the hush of surprise there was little time for action. Bemencanla was

the first to recover."A lie- a great lie!" he shrieked. "These metal things are an invention of Kamunioleten flung across space to finish the ruin he commenced! Destroy them! Theymust be destroyed at once!"The spell was broken. The guards surrounding the Administratorsf stand shoved

their way toward the block of stone on which the machine men stood chained. Froma curling tentacle of one, they saw a dazzling, blinding light throw its aura about the chains that bound it. Before they realized what was happening, they sawthe machine man free of the chains and at work on those which held his companions. Several chugging sounds were followed by small explosions about the body ofthe Zorome who worked unscathed and little perturbed by the guns of the approaching guards.Entirely free of the chains, the three machine men waited for the guards who,

with more bravery than good sense, mounted the block of stone to overwhelm them.There followed more firing of guns before they came to grips, and then the machine men picked up their recent captors and hurled them out into the excited, milling throng, whose combined voices were throwing the place into an uproar that made the building tremble."How are we to get out of here into the open?" 6W-438 queried."Follow me," was the reply.Adjusting his heat ray to low intensity, Professor Jameson leveled it at that

section of the throng opposing their passage to the nearest exit. Badly burned,the screaming Emites opened a lane by scrambling out of harm's way over the heads of their more fortunate neighbors. Out of the museum and into the city avenueran the machine men of Zor, still undecided on a course. From near and far camerunning thousands of the Emites, attracted by the uproar.

"What about the dock?" 6W-438 suggested. "They can overcome us by sheer weightof numbers here. We can either steal one of their boats or else hide in the ocean."But now the machine men were at a loss as to the direction in which the harbor

lay. 19K-59 believed he knew the way, and they ran in that direction, only to meet a wall of excited Emites, aroused and brandishing various types of weapons."Remember the Aytans!" cried 6W-438. "We must not let them snare us!"The machine men turned and ran down another thoroughfare. Soon they met anothe

r wave of the creatures, several hundred strong, choking the street as far as they could see. Again they made a right-hand turn into the path of least resistanc


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e. This course brought them into the vicinity of what the machine men took to beindustrial buildings. Ahead of them they saw no resistance, yet behind and farther away on either side they could hear the din of the menacing mobs."They are herding us!" the professor warned. "This way is too easy!""How could they have become organized against our escape so quickly?" interjec

ted 6W-438.This question remained unanswered as the machine men hurried onward. With sudd

en despair, they saw a yelling horde break into the avenue from both sides justahead, having emerged from the opening leading into the now solid succession ofbuildings. Behind them they heard and saw strange vehicles, each carrying fullya dozen of the Emites and all bearing down upon them."Into this building!" Professor Jameson urged his metal comrades. "We are not

caught yet!"The three Zoromes ducked quickly into a broad opening at the base of a nearby

building. Inside, huge masses of mechanism testified to their recent guess thatthey were in an industrial center. Hasty glances showed them that the Emites were still pursuing. 6W-438 talked desperately of making a stand, realizing at thesame time its futility unless they could discover a position of advantage.Through the long dimly lighted factory, the Emites pursued the machine men. At

the far end waited more of them, biding quietly. 19K-59 was first to see them in the gloom ahead, and he gave warning."There is no way to turn!" 6W-438 exclaimed."Here!" The professor suited his thought with action as he climbed rapidly up

the incline of a towering piece of machinery. "Up here!"

6W-438 and 19K-59 scrambled after, as the professor paused to repel the advancing mob with his heat ray. This time the heat ray was increased to damaging intensity. One of the foremost of the Emites who clambered in pursuit fell back uponhis companions semi-decapitated, a black, charred area marking the recent position of his head. The professor now swung the formidable weapon in a slow circling arc as he and his mechanical brethren climbed to a position where it was impossible to go higher."Are we secure here, do you think?" 19K-59 asked."As secure here as anywhere else until we can manage to reach the harbor and h

ide beneath the water," said the professor. "We can lose them easily there.""And ourselves as well," 6W-438 added.A barrage of gunfire broke out and a splatter of explosions all around the mac

hine men dazzled them momentarily. With the exception of a mechanical eye destro

yed in the head of 19K-59, the machine men suffered no harm, clamping shut theiroptical shutters until the firing was over.Professor Jameson expressed his belief: gTheyfll find a way to subdue us unles

s we can get safely to the harbor.""Shall we make a break?""Nightfall will soon come. Let us defend this position until then."During the lull in hostilities, several Emites came pushing their way through

the crowd below, evidently being in some authority by the way they were given immediate passage. They came as near as they dared to the foot of the great pieceof mechanism and its besieged Zoromes, stopping outside the ring of dead Emitesstrewn on the floor. They gave vent to unintelligible jargon directed at the machine men, the latter disregarding the sound entirely, concentrating their faculties upon the mental waves of the Emites.

"Owmitelverol has expressed his wishes that you be heard through in peace regarding the denunciations you made against Bemencanla, the Grand Administrator. Noharm will come to you during the interview."This last promise, though temporarily reassuring, was an ominous one. The prof

essor considered, then turned to his metal companions."It offers a slightly better chance than this one.h He gestured at their prese

nt position. "Let us see Owmitelverol and talk with him.""We can prove nothing," cautioned 6W-438, who yet recognized in this new measu

re an increased opportunity for escape."We can only state the facts squarely, see what effect they take and then afte


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rward act accordingly," the professor stated.The machine men were escorted to the Grand Administration Building, where they

were left under guard. Their interview with Owmitelverol was scheduled for thefollowing morning.

***

During the interview, a murmur had arisen from many throats in the street below, swelling to a roar of excitement and confusion. Disturbed, Owmitelverol wentto a window to ascertain the cause of the disorder, aware of the fact that all three machine men were in his presence, leaving none of them responsible for thepresent tumult in the streets below. Professor Jameson pressed to the window. Ahuge shape settled slowly into the public square."The spaceship!"Leaving Owmitelverol still staring out of the window in dumb surprise, the thr

ee Zoromes clattered down the innumerable steps and out into the milling crowdsof Emites surrounding the spaceship at a respectful distance. Recklessly, they pushed their way toward the ship which they were so glad to see once more, especially at such an alarming time. As they burst into the wide opening given the spaceship by the awed Emites, out of the ship came a machine man closely followed by several metal companions. It was 744U-21, and behind him came 948D-21, oneof those the professor had left at the flooded castle where Kamunioleten had spent his exile. To their surprise and the greater surprise of the already astounded Emites, Kamunioleten himself, smiling and excited, emerged from the spaceship.

But this astonishment, though the greatest one to overwhelm the staring Emites, was surpassed by the sight which now greeted the professor as five machine menfollowed in the wake of Kamunioleten. There should have been nothing so particularly surprising about them had it not been for the striving departure in the shape of their heads, which were not at all conical but were long and cylindrical,rounded on the top and possessing fewer mechanical eyes than the usual number encircling the coned superstructures of the machine men."Where have you been so long, 744U-21?" Professor Jameson queried in open amaz

ement. "And what is the matter with their heads?""I conceived a better plan after the spaceship was less than halfway to Dlasit

ap," 744U-21 explained. "I took careful calculations as to where the lost projectile with its five Administrators would be and set out to find it. The search was more difficult than I had expected, but despite the fact that seven of Dlasita

p's years had fled by since the projectile had sped off into space, we finally discovered it. The projectile was still speeding off into space at its last calculated rate of travel when astronomers here on Dlasitap eventually lost sight ofit. We found it about forty-six million of your miles distant from Dlasitap, 21MM392, and still on its way toward the outer planet of this system.""And these new machine men are the five Administrators?" the professor asked.

"You brought them back to life and placed their brains in machines?""Yes, 21MM392, even as we did for you once," 744U-21 affirmed. "You will notic

e that their peculiarly shaped brains required a different cranial structure. This took a good deal of our time.""But what of the crew of three who accompanied the Administrators?" Professor

Jameson asked. "What happened to them?"One of the new machine men answered this question himself.

"There was no crew. The crew members were in on the plan to destroy us. As soon as we found ourselves sealed alone inside the projectile and raced prematurelyaround the wheel we knew that all was not well. We were thrown helplessly intospace with all Dlasitap believing that a crew of three accompanied us."The ensuing excitement on Dlasitap can be well imagined. Bemencanla and severa

l of his cohorts disappeared in some strange manner. In the meantime, a worldwide search was made for the three Emites who were to have been the crew of the fateful projectile. One of them was found, and from him was extorted the proof of Bemencan-la's perfidious plot. They also learned that only a day before Bemencanla and his implicated subordinates had entered a projectile for flight to Selimem


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igre where Bemencanla was seeking refuge.It was the idea of Professor Jameson to overtake them and bring them back to j

ustice, and the suggestion was warmly acclaimed by a wrathful world. The Administrators, even ancient Owmitelverol, boarded the spaceship with the Zoromes, andoff they went in search of the escaping Bemencanla. Kamunioleten showed none ofhis previous qualms toward interplanetary flight aboard the spaceship of Zor. Ashe remarked to the professor, he felt much safer where he was than where Bemencanla was.And well might he have felt more secure, for with the directions they had been

given on Dlasitap by their terrified informant, they quickly found the projectile on its way to Selimemigre."We can pick it up with a magnetic attracter," the professor told the Administ

rators, gand bring it back to Dlasitap.""Wait!" cried one of the cylindrical-headed men, one of the Administrators who

had died a slow, lingering death in the dark, lonely wastes of space. "I have abetter way. Why should we not pronounce judgment against him and his conspirators right here and also execute the judgment?""What do you mean?" asked 744U-21, possessing only a slight inkling of the oth

ers design."Let us deflect the course of the projectile so that it will be headed into th

e sun."Scared faces were dimly distinguishable through the thick windows of the proje

ctile as the space ship of Zor rode alongside and gently bumped the projectile,giving it a mighty push and multiplying its speed by a million times or better.

"What would have taken many years will now be accomplished in a matter of lessthan a day's time," 41C-98 observed to one of the mechanical Administrators.Leaving the speeding projectile with its doomed occupants heading rapidly sunw

ard, the spaceship swerved and headed back for Dlasitap.Kamunioleten was glad to regain his old prestige and position once more on Dla

sitap, yet he declined the offer of the Zoromes to make him like his fellow Administrators."Let them rule always," he said, gand let my place be filled from time to time

."The five machine men of Dlasitap were found better content to live an endless

life on their own world than to rove among the stars with the Zoromes.After a brief stay on Dlasitap and Selimemigre, the spaceship of the Zoromes o

nce more sped away on its argosy of cosmic adventures, leaving behind two dwindl

ing points of light, one brighter than the other, yet both of which soon disappeared from sight, lost in the distance of interstellar darkness.

~ ~

TWO: ON THE PLANET FRAGMENT

Chapter I

There it lay, slowly gyrating through space, its ponderous and rough-cut, jagged mountain peaks piercing far above the low-lying atmosphere into the endless abyss of space through which the planet plunged. This was the first impression the machine men of Zor had of this strangely shaped world. From afar, they had rec

ognized a departure from the general rotundity characteristic of the major cosmic bodies.It might have resembled an elongated cube, had not one end been imperfect and

receding, so nearly square were the angles of this strange world. Professor Jameson estimated the length of the immense body to vary in the neighborhood of twenty-three thousand miles. As the spaceship sped closer, and the planet turned upon an axis yet to be defined, the cubic illusion grew less, for the planet appeared more like a mighty stone slab, fourteen thousand miles across and four thousand miles thick. Not until the planet had turned slowly around were these figuresavailable. Distantly, the great world had gleamed as an oblate spheroid, but up


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closer the softening curves induced by reflected sunlight yielded to squarer cut reality.To have said that it was a flat world would have been voicing no deviation fro

m actual proportions. It was a fiat world, its edges four thousand miles thick.The atmosphere appeared unequally divided over the faceted surface. More air apparently enveloped the flat surfaces than covered the sides and ends, especiallythe ends, which possessed but a thin, scanty layer. The imperfect end tapered gradually into two of the sides, the atmosphere following the surface in ever widening strata as it left the heavier gravity of the receding end. The machine menwere of the opinion that gravity and density were the deciding factors concerning the atmosphere. In quantity, the air was more or less equally divided."How might such a queer-shaped world ever come to be?" 454ZQ2 ventured. "It is

incredible that such a large, cosmic body should be found in this semblance.""A reason for it exists somewhere," 744U-21 offered. "There are four other wor

lds to the system, and none of them are like this. All are spherical. And thereis another mismated atmosphere.""It would seem that this world we are approaching is foreign to the system," 6

W-438 observed. "It may have come wandering through space ages ago and was captured by this star.""The solution appears plausible," the professor agreed. "Yet even if we take f

or granted that it possessed an atmosphere when it reached this system, why doesit possess such a queer shape?""A cosmic explosion somewhere far off in the universe may have sent it upon it

s journey," 41C-98 theorized. "The cause we may never know. At least, we can gue

ss at it. As for atmosphere, we have found before that transformed worlds oftengenerate their own during a passing phase of development or reconstruction. A new sun accounts for much."The conjectures among the machine men were many."Two stars passing close to each other may have become wrenched asunder. This

great fragment, perhaps, is one of the pieces.""But the rotating, molten mass would assume a spherical shape.""Not if the stars, or at least one of them, were cooled and dying.""A giant planet may have exploded.""A collision of worlds.""The fragment cannot be originally from this system. It came from no one knows

how far and brought its atmospheric constituents along.""It seems the only planet of this group on which we might expect to find organ

isms."The spaceship described a semi-arc about the huge fragment, and another startling discovery was made. There was a moon, a rough, jagged specimen fifty-five thousand miles distant. The professor estimated its diameter to be less than ninehundred of his Earthly units of measurement. Here again was the departure from the conventional, spherical form, yet strange as it might seem this little satellite conformed more to the shape of a globe than did its mighty companion. But the rough surface with its jagged spires and upfiung escarpments was synonomous with the general appearance of its huge contemporary, though it lacked the elongated contour.As the spaceship sped downward to less than ten thousand miles over the sunlit

surface, the Zoromes marveled at the gigantic mountain ranges which reached upout of the atmosphere and into space. They were easily ten to fifteen times as h

igh as any mountains Professor Jameson could recollect on his planet Earth. Neartheir bases, yet miles above the planet's general surface, the mountains were ringed with snow and ice, or at least what the machine men took for such.Where the sunlight struck their sides in the realm of the atmosphere, the moun

tains were weathered and slightly softened in contour, in contrast to the higherportions far above where unveiled sunlight struck dazzling and unsuffused, theshadows sharply etched and as black as the surrounding space."If creatures of any kind do live there, how do they ever get across those mou

ntains?" 119M-5 soliloquized moodily."They donft," stated 12W-62 positively, gunless they possess spaceships."


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"Spaceships is right," said 744U-21. "Airships would do no good there.""Perhaps they do have spaceships," 141L-14 suggested."Raise your anticipations as high as you will," 6W-438 broke in, gBut we are s

carcely close enough to discover if there are creatures upon this planet, not tomention creatures of the intelligence you have conjured.""It will be interesting," Professor Jameson stated, gto walk off the edge of t

he flat world and down its side."Twice the spaceship circled the huge fragment. They finally cruised low over o

ne of the more sharply defined edges where massive mountains towered a few milesfrom the world's edge, planning to land here at least temporarily. But if the world's edge proved a lure, what they saw on closer inspection proved even more so. Midway between the mountains and the rim lay a city."It is inhabited!" cried 47X-09 from his position at a telescope.Strange things moved about below them. It was a city, a vast assemblage of ram

bling, single-storied huts both large and small. Toward the center of the city there rose several more elaborate pieces of architecture."The city is walled about!" 6W-438 discovered. "A very high wall surrounds it!

"20R-645 brought the ship rapidly downward, selecting an open spot not far from

the central buildings as a landing place. The spaceship came to rest, but wherethere had been a teeming city now rested silence and apparent desertion. Everyone of the inhabitants had scurried out of sight. A vague mental unrest manifested itself to the keen perceptions of the Zoromes."They fear us," said 744U-21. "Be ready to act in case of a hostile demonstrat

ion.""They do not seem to be far enough advanced to represent a menace to us," observed 8L-404."Not scientifically, perhaps," 744U-21 countered, gyet remember the ohbs- and

then on the previous expedition the Emkls of the blue dimension on the planet ofthe double sun took frightful toll of our ranks. It has been clearly proved tous that various forms of animation possess natural offensives to which we are not wholly invulnerable.""It might be best," the professor advised, gto preserve as friendly an attitud

e as possible until they overcome their fear. We must impress upon them mentallythat we mean them no harm.""What a high wall," marveled 41C-98. "It is easily sixty feet high.""And probably half as thick," added 29G-75. "Why do you suppose they built it?

" "A wall is usually meant to keep something inside or else outside. Being around a city, I should say that it is to keep something out.""The something must be a colossus to require a wall as large as that one.""Not necessarily. It may require special height to keep out a type of creature

whose natural facilities enable it to jump high.""Or the menace may carry means of climbing or otherwise elevating itself," 6W-

438 reminded them. "744U-21's allusion to the Emkls on the planet of the doublesun just put me in mind of the fuzzy stilt walkers."The professor's attention became riveted upon the surrounding buildings. The h

ouses, or huts, were crude in design, low and rambling. They were made of something resembling cement, and nowhere did they possess a corner, edge or sharp protuberance. Their general appearance was either oblong, spherical or mushroom, and

none of them rose to more than twenty feet in height. The apertures were strangest of all. They were oblate, running horizontally in haphazard order. Each domicile possessed three or more of these means of entrance. The average uniformityof these openings was three feet by one foot wide, giving the machine men a rough perception as to the size of the inhabitants.Many of the apertures were covered on the inside with shutters. Several of the

m were open, and from time to time the professor caught furtive glances turned momentarily in the direction of the spaceship. The larger buildings were more massive and seemed built of a varying grade of cement, different in shade and texture than that of the more humble habitations clustered below and stretching away


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on every side to meet the towering walls. Professor Jameson saw that these larger buildings were more perfectly done, and the weathering on their rough sides suggested that they were much older than the lesser buildings about their base. They were more inclined to square proportions, too, although here the corners andsides were rounded and there was the usual lack of spires or other points. The openings were placed in orderly rows and were more uniform in size though of thesame oblate shape as in the smaller houses.Most of the machine men came out of their spaceship and wandered about in the

nearby vicinity but were never out of sight of the ship and their comrades, nordid they attempt seeking out the hidden inhabitants of the strange city. The mountains rose out of sight to one side of the city, their base fringed with vegetation, snow taking its place further up, while into space they towered gaunt andbare. To the other side of the city a verdured plain swept away for several miles to end at what looked like the shores of a calm, placid ocean. And indeed it was an ocean, but not of water: an ocean of atmosphere dropped away to a depth offour thousand miles. Looking straight away or overhead, the machine men knew that not more than thirty miles of air kept the massive fragment from being a lifeless world.The machine men wondered about the city's inhabitants. Professor Jameson wonde

red moreover what it would be like to walk to the edge of the world and look offinto the abyss beyond."Night will soon be upon us," said 744U-21, pointing up to the sunlit peaks an

d then waving a tentacle at the amber sun upon the horizon. "Tomorrow we may know more about the city and its inhabitants. If they do not overcome their fears b

y then, we shall have to make overtures of friendship to them. It is probable that when morning comes, their timidity shall have been dispersed by our having made no hostile moves during the night. It is clear that they have cause to fear something, for the great wall testifies to that."The sim disappeared beyond the world's rim, and the unusually long duration of

dusk surprised the machine men, for absolute night did not come until the sun had gone beyond the next rim and its rays no longer shone crosswise up into the square angle strata of atmosphere adjacent to the walled city. The long, drawn-out dusk finally yielded reluctantly to the night, and in the blackness occasionalsounds appraised the cosmic wanderers that the city's inhabitants were prowlingabout under cover of darkness. In the clear, fiery starlight, the machine men now and then saw one of their dim, skulking forms. They never came close. A few times, queer, excited cries were uttered.

The night had grown long when a weird, wailing bedlam arose from a distant quarter of the city. Dim, ghastly lights bobbed uncertainly around the city in thedirection of the tumult. The machine men saw globes of light sailing and dartingabout over the huts. The wailing lamentation grew in volume. In the yells, theZoromes detected warning, fear, bewilderment and despair."Something is going on over there not in accordance with the usual city routin

e," said 6W-438. "We had better investigate."The suggestion was acted upon, and a party of Zoromes left immediately for the

area of tumult and pale brilliance. Running in the direction of the light, theyturned down a twisting, irregular avenue between groups of the small huts, breaking suddenly into direct view of the pulsing, changing radiance. The light emanated from the illuminated globes which floated above the huts and darted againstthe apertures, most of these being closed.

The globes were animate; the professor recognized this at once. And from the wails emerging out of the nearer huts, he realized also that these lighted thingswere a feared enemy of the inmates. Closer examination of the flying creaturesproduced the startling discovery that they possessed no wings. Furthermore, their spherical contour was but the illusion of the surrounding brilliance they exuded. Their nucleus might have been globular, but that was more or less indeterminate because of the surrounding spines which grew in every direction, closeby set, giving them a diameter of a yard or more. A slight weaving motion of these spines caused the professor to alter his opinion. They were not spines; they were small tentacles. In fact, these numberless, slim tentacles were the only outward


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appearance of these creatures. How they maintained their flight was questionable.Meanwhile, the wailing from inside the huts was rudely punctuated by a startle

d shriek of agony, a maddening scream of terror and pain. Out of an aperture came one of the flying monsters dragging with it an equally monstrous creature a bit smaller than itself. For the first time, the machine men saw one of the city'sinhabitants. Its body was somewhat like a solid wheel, a bewildering set of appendages circling the rim. Toward the center its body broadened slightly. Large optics, one on each side of the disk, were at present distended with terror, while the short appendages, hooked and clawed at their extremities, kicked and fought to tear loose from the curled tentacles which gripped so tightly.Out of the hut's oblong windows rushed three more of the strange inhabitants,

leaping up and setting upon the blazing terror in an attempt to free their helpless companion. With panic written upon their minds, the professor could not helptrying to rescue their comrade from the clutches of the marauder. This thoughtwas uppermost in the metal encased heads of all the machine men, and they actedsimultaneously as the disengaged monsters of the air raced down upon the howlingcreatures below them. One of the glowing spheres set its fiery tentacles upon 60M-64 and was promptly torn to shreds, the innumerable tentacles stripped from atough, pulpy center which was soon ripped to pieces in its own liquid welter.Meanwhile, the rest of the machine men hurried to the aid of the Disci. The pr

ofessor leaped upward off the ground and seized one of the shining things just as it slowly rose with a screaming, struggling victim. Bringing the luminous creature down, he found it necessary to tear the malign menace into lifeless section

s before it would loose its quarry. There were scarcely a dozen of the things, yet in the confusion and their flying around there seemed more of them. They hadimmediately seized the luckless creatures who had emerged from the protection oftheir hut, and one of them was making good an escape, rising above the reach ofthe machine men who leaped high but to no avail. The victim's despairing screams* grew fainter, and the globe of light dwindled."If we only had the mechanical wings here!" 6W-438 lamented.The machine men had killed several of the shining things which flew without wi

ngs. They had rescued all the inhabitants of the hut except the one which had been borne aloft out of their reach, and now the remaining raiders arose to join their escaped myrmidon and his quarry. The huts grew dim, and darkness replaced the strange brilliance of the fleeing globes.The Zoromes illuminated the scene of recent conflict with their body lights, a

nd as they did so the frightened and stupified citizens scrambled inside their dwelling as if from some new horror."Shall we go back to the ship for our mechanical wings and pursue the shining

things?" queried 53S-7, staring up from the apex of his head at the tiny, disappearing points of light which continued their rise steadily upward."There is no use to it," the professor replied. "Let us wait until dawn when w

e may perhaps gain the friendship of these Disci and learn more about the night's affair."It was even as they had hoped. The dawning of a new day dispelled the horrors

of the night before, and in the daylight, which streamed up over the mountain tops and later down into the walled city as the sun rose higher, the citizens emerged in timorous curiosity, their fear still evident though partly restrained. Intheir minds, the machine men perceived a leaning toward trustfulness, and they

fanned this with reassurance and allusion to their aid of the previous night.Like concave disks, the city's inhabitants dropped from their strange entrance

s upon an endless row of appendages. Sometimes they walked with their bodies flat above the ground; then again their movement often characterized the rolling motion like that of a cartwheel. On each side of their disk a large eye peered fearfully at the machine men who found them quite intelligent although their city did not suggest any very large amount of culture or scientific attainment. They were soon persuaded to abandon their soft, smoothly-flowing sounds in trying to make themselves understood in answer to the unmistakable questions radiated upontheir minds by the concentrated efforts of the Zoromes. A bit hazy and disjointe


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d were the replies, but the thoughts of the Disci, as the professor had immediately dubbed them for want of a better appellation of reference, were definable, and the Zoromes learned more about the shining things from out of the air, whichinformation, however, was but little.

Jones, Neil R. - 4-Twin Worlds.part3

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